High School: Part Two
by perkygirl1998
Summary: Continuation of High School: Part One. Read that first. Theres more demigod stuff in here than in Part 1. Percabeth! Mite put Rachel in here. This is bout the quest they get to find Katie. R&R! There's no adult themes that I know of. Rated T just in case.
1. The Prophecy

**Chapter 1! Oh my gosh! It's Part Two! And I made a new story. I think it's pretty good. It's about when says, "Nice meeting you, Percy. I've heard a lot about you." I was wondering what Annabeth has been saying about him. Anyway, R&R!**

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**Percy's POV**

"Luke," Annabeth had said. Now it all made sense. I took the note from her and handed it back to John.

"I'm sorry. I promise we'll find Katie," I said sympathetically, looking at the little girl who was now bawling. I could feel her pain. Katie was a good friend. We didn't really hang out much. But she was always super nice. And I didn't even notice she was gone.

I grabbed Annabeth's hand and ran over to Chiron. He was talking to Annabeth's half-sister, Violet, when he heard the little Demeter girl crying. "Chiron, I had the dream."

"Well, what happened?" he asked. I could feel all of Annabeth's siblings' eyes on me. Everyone else got back to eating.

"Katie. She's been kidnapped. She tried to tell me something, but word were cut out."

"Tell me exactly what happened."

I took a deep breath, remembering every single detail. But you know dreams You forget most of it once you wake up. "Okay, well first, there was a red light, so I followed it. It led me to what I think is where Kronos has his army set up. I saw Katie tied up in the coffin that Luke was in when I went down in the Labyrinth. And when I helped her up, she tried to tell me something. But like I said, some words were cut out."

"What words did you hear?"

"Uhhh, something like, 'He's here. Have- get out. You- here." Chiron looked at me weird. Violet tapped me on the arm.

"She probably said, 'He's here. You have to get out. You can't be here,'" she said, like it was obvious. _Thanks for making me feel dumb, Violet. _I swear the Athena children have all turned on me ever since I started dating Annabeth. Sheesh, they're so territorial.

"Yeah, probably," I said, turning back to Chiron. "Anyway, then someone from behind grabbed her, covering her mouth. And-"

"Well, we have to find her," he interrupted, now panicking.

"Chiron!" He turned to me. "There's something else. The person who grabbed her. He held something to her throat."

"Oh, if we don't find her soon, she will be dead."

"Chiron!" I said, kind of getting annoyed with all the interruptions. "It was Kronos's scythe."

**XXXXXXXX**

At the mention of the Lord of Time, the whole pavilion became silent. The only sound was the crackling of the fire nearby. Chiron took my arm and pulled me far enough that no one could hear. I glanced at Annabeth. She sat down next to Jenny and looked at me with curious eyes. I turned back to Chiron.

"Go up to the attic and consult the Oracle. We have to find Katie soon or Kronos might persuade her to help him. Or worse, she might die." He bit his lip in frustration, "Hurry." He waved his hands at me, telling me to go now, "Oh, and do not tell anyone else that Katie is missing."

He trotted back to tables, trying to tame the gossip that was already spreading. Annabeth jogged over. "So do you have a quest?"

"I guess. Chiron told me to consult the Oracle." I stepped into the Big House holding the door for Annabeth.

She looked at me. "I'll wait down here." I took a deep breath. I've seen the Oracle three times, but it was three times too many. I guess I was sort of getting used to her tripled voice, the creepy visions, the green snake-like smoke, and the glassy eyes. But she still gave me nightmares.

I opened the attic door and there she was, in the middle of the room. I gulped. "Umm, how can we find Katie?"

I already new what was going to happen. With the creepy tripled voice, she said,

"_Five shall find the one who was lost._

_ But nothing will be accomplished without cost._

_ You will be admitted by the burdens you carry._

_ But be held back by the curse of the wary._

_ Be falsely led when you find the pawn's mark._

_ And find the answer when the mind's portrayals are dark._

_ You'll come upon the one you call 'traitor'._

_ And the one who has been made greater._

_ It shall be victory you find._

_ But one will be left behind." _Then suddenly, the smoke was gone, leaving only a dim light shining on the Oracle of Delphi.

**XXXXXXXX**

I was still dazed when I walked down the stairs to where Annabeth, and probably Chiron, were waiting. I just stared at the ground.

"So what did it say?" Annabeth asked anxiously. Chiron looked at me waiting for an answer.

"Umm, _Five shall find the one who was lost." _Chiron started pacing and Annabeth lied down on the couch, thinking.

"Well, that's obvious. You'll have to choose four people to come with you," Annabeth said, kicking her feet in the air.

"_But nothing will be accomplished without cost." _I bit my lip in thought. Annabeth swung her legs over the edge of the couch.

"The cost can't be death or anything, right?" she asked, wanting someone to say '_Oh, don't worry. No one is going to die. _But we all kept silent. Being a demigod means death is always a possibility.

"Well, we can't dwell over that line. Keep going, Percy," Chiron said, breaking the tense silence.

"Okay, _You will be admitted by the burdens you carry." _

_ "_Doesn't that mean something like that saying? 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, I guess it's like that," I said sitting on one end of the couch. She lied down again, her head on my lap. I stroked her hair. "Then, _But be held back by the curse of the wary." _They did say anything so I went on. _Be falsely led when you find the pawn's mark. And find the answer when the mind's portrayals are dark."_

_ "_Wait," Annabeth said, looking up at me, "'_mind's portrayals'? _Does that mean 'thoughts'?" She looked at Chiron. He was staring out the window at the pavilion.

"Keep going, Percy. Finish the prophecy," he said, without looking up.

"_You'll come upon the one you call 'traitor'. And the one who has been made greater. It shall be victory you find. But one will be left behind," _I said, the last line leaving a dark aura in the air.

**XXXXXXXX**

**There it is! The first chapter of High School: Part Two! For some reason, with Part One done, I feel old-ish. Anyway, I would've updated sooner but I had to think of a prophecy. And like I said, I screwed up and had to retype this whole chapter over again. It's amazing how even the most mature of people can make such stupid mistakes. Anyway, review! Tell me what you thought of the prophecy I made! =)**


	2. The Beginning

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. I had to update my other story. And I was thinking of taking break from fanfiction so I could write my novel but I love you guys too much not to update. But I will be updating a little slowly so I can make some progress in my novel. Well, R&R!**

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**Percy's POV**

"So who are you taking?" Chiron asked, looking out the window at the camp. He turned around to face me and Annabeth.

"Uhh, we need five so . . me. That's one. And uhh . . . . How about I tell you at dinner tonight?" I asked him. He nodded as I walked out of the Big House and into the sunny campgrounds. Annabeth was right behind me, jogging to keep up with my pace.

"How about me?" she asked, still jogging.

"What about?" I stopped walking, seriously confused

"Can I come?" she asked slowly, like she was afraid I might get mad.

"No." I kept on walking. She started jogging again.

"What? Why?"

"Well, because it's too dangerous. That's why." I could see my cabin in view.

"Come on. We fought the Crimson Slayer." I raised my eyebrow at her. "Okay, bad example. But still. You gotta admit I'm a good fighter and I can handle a few monsters." She crossed her arms.

"Yeah, you are really good fighter. But you're still not going." I walked into my cabin. I turned around to face Annabeth and smiled mischievously. "We can't be in the same cabin. Camp rules, remember?" I said.

She walked straight past me and jumped on my bed. "Oh, looky! Annabeth broke the rules! Sue me." I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "You need me with you. I'm the one who always has a plan. I'm the one who keeps your head on straight when you're panicking. Face it. I have to come." She gave me a wry smile.

"Ehh, you have a good point. Fine, you can come. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yes! Thank you, Percy!" She jumped off the bed and threw her arms around me. She gave me a quick kiss. "Love you! I'm going to go pack!" Then she ran out of my cabin.

**XXXXXXXX**

"Percy, have you chosen your companions?" Chiron walked over to my table at dinner. I put down my fork and looked at Chiron.

"Yeah, Annabeth, Grover, Nico, and Thalia. I've already asked them if they wanted to come. They're already packing." Chiron nodded approvingly and walked over to Mr. D, who was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, sleeping. I caught the Athena children staring at me again. I think it was a routine now. Annabeth looked at her siblings, wondering what they were staring at. Then she followed their gaze and saw me. She looked back nervously at her siblings and then ran to my table.

"Hey Annabeth. I have a question. Why does your family hate me? Your mom's side _and_your dad's side." She sat down next to me and looked around for Chiron. He was looking at us, most probably because Annabeth wasn't supposed to be sitting here. But Chiron looked away in respect. Relieved, Annabeth turned to me, putting her palms on the table.

"Yeah, about that. On my mom's side, it's sort of obvious. You're a son of Poseidon."

"So why don't _you _hate me?" I asked.

"Because I know you. And would I be dating you if I hated you?"

"Well, maybe. There are some people who just date because of pity. And other peo-" Then Annabeth put her hand on my shoulder and kissed me.

"Would I do that if I hated you?" she asked, smiling.

"Aww!" We turned around and saw the whole Aphrodite cabin staring. Silena looked at us and made the 'crazy' sign, pointing at her siblings. But I could tell that she was staring too. I turned around to find the Athena children staring too. _Great, another reason for them to hate me. _I looked around the camp and almost passed out. So many eyes. Nico looked green. Grover was sitting with Juniper on a nearby bench. Thalia looked happy, but still grossed out a little. Clarisse and the Ares children were glaring at me. Or is that just how their faces are naturally? Anyway, I felt exposed. Like my life was on display for everyone to see.

"Anyway," I said turning around, avoiding everyone's gazes, "Was there a reason you came to my table?"

"Oh! Yeah, umm, I need some stuff from my house. And with Jessie, Alex, and Sam still there, it will probably take a day to find. Seriously, not kidding."

"That's okay. Once we leave camp, we can stop by first. And if it really takes that long to find it, then we can stay there for the night. You have extra rooms there, right?"

"Yeah, but be careful. My friends are like piranhas. The last time I Iris-messaged them, they said they would track you down just to ask you questions like 'If you were going to, how would you propose?'" I got wide-eyed.

"What?"

"Exactly. Anyway, thanks. I'm going to go back to my table before my brothers and sisters start planning a way to slaughter you. See ya. Oh, and I don't think my dad's side hates you _that _much" She got up and jogged back to her table. _They wanted to slaughter me? Well, that's pleasant. Not really my idea of fun, but at least they wouldn't do anything while Annabeth was dating me. Right? Ugh, bad thoughts. Bad thoughts._

**XXXXXXXX**

We Annabeth's right before noon. The sun was still high and it gave the Chase household a warm, bright glow. I walked to the back of my truck where Annabeth's bags were. I climbed up the side of my truck and landed right on my feet. I saw the small gray duffel bag in the corner. I tried pulling it up but it wouldn't budge.

Annabeth knocked on the door and Sam answered it. "Annabeth! Hi! We missed you!"

"Hey Annabeth! Can you help me?" I called after pulling on her bag for five straight minutes. I was scared I might rip it.

"Yeah, sure. Nico, Thalia, Grover? You can just sit on the couch until I come in." She climbed up my truck. Nico and Thalia started shoving each other.

"Ow, quit it!" Nico yelled. "I was here first!"

"Oh, you're right. Sorry, where are my manners? Ladies first." Thalia smiled.

"Shut up, Thalia!" Nico yelled, putting his hands on his hips.

"You make me!"

"Oh, I will." Nico glared at her.

"Ohh, I'm so scared of DEAD PEOPLE!" Thalia's voice was getting louder.

"Well, at least I'm not scared of heights!"

"Well, at least I'm not half dead!" Thalia yelled.

"I'm not half dead!"

"In my mind, you are!"

"Who cares about what's going in your brain? Nothing's in there anyway!" You could almost see the anger in Thalia's eyes. "And I'm still not dead!"

"Oh, you will be!" Thalia pulled out her sword.

"Bla-ha-ha!" Aww, poor Grover. He was getting nervous. "Guys, stop fighting." I turned to Annabeth.

"What's with them?" Annabeth looked uncomfortable.

"Do you remember when I told you they were arguing about whose parent is better?"

"They're still fighting about that?" She nodded as she lifted up her bag without a struggle. "How'd you do that?"

"Not telling," she said, climbing off my truck. I rolled my eyes and jumped over onto the sidewalk where Annabeth's friend were waiting.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Again, sorry for the wait. But I wanted to write my novel. Please review. And flames will be used to make a warm campfire worthy of Camp Half-Blood.**


	3. The Interrogation

**Hey, well, I don't really have anything to say so you can just read now.**

**Disclaimer: I keep forgetting these. I don't own the PJO series.**

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**Percy's POV**

Annabeth walked through the door with me on her heels. When I entered the house, it took me by surprise. I've never been inside Annabeth's house. The walls were painted a really grand off-white color. All the furniture matched with the color scheme. It looked like a smaller version of a castle. _No wonder Annabeth doesn't like it. _

"Hey Percy. I think I know where it is. You can just sit on the couch. Grover, Nico, your guys' room is on the right, second door. Thalia, you can put your stuff in my room, where Jessie, Alex, and Sam are staying." Annabeth started walking to the hallway, but turned around. She put her hand on Jessie's shoulder. "Don't scare him away," she warned. She turned to me and mouthed, "Sorry." Then she took one last look at her friends and disappeared.

The air in the room got way more tense once Annabeth left. So I walked to the couch, avoiding any eye contact with Jessie, Alex, or Sam. I sat down and started playing with my fingers. I let my dark hair fall, making a wall between me and their stares. Finally, an up side to my untamed black hair. I heard the screeching of a chair being dragged across the tile floor and saw that Alex had pulled up a chair. She turned it backwards, sat down, and started staring. Wait, no. She was examining me. _Once again, my life is on display for everyone to see. Yeah, I don't see why I should be frustrated. _

"Hey, Alex. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but what the Tartarus are you doing?" I looked up at her. She just kept on staring. Apparently, that didn't have any effect on her. "Wow, that couldn't have been any more wasted," I murmured.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" she finally said.

"Huh?" I was confused.

"_Shocker!" _a tiny voice in the back of my head said.

Instinctively, I mentally talked back to it. _"Hey, you. Yeah, you. Tiny little voice, yeah. Do me a favor. ZIP IT!"_ I groaned in my head. That voice really gets on my nerves sometimes. Jessie jumped on the couch, one foot away from me.

"Would you save Annabeth from a monster?" Jessie cocked her head to the side, waiting for an answer.

"Uhh, I doubt she would need help, but yes. I would," I said slowly, hoping that was the right answer. Annabeth warned me about these questions. I think I can handle it though.

"Where would you get married?" _I spoke too soon. _Okay, that one caught me off guard.

"Umm, don't you think it's a little soon?" I answered, noticing that my voice was one octave higher than usual. I cleared my throat. Gulping, I thought, "_If I can survive this, I can most definitely survive SATs." _That's saying something, considering I have dyslexia and ADHD.

"What would you do if she got injured?" Sam asked.

"I would put pressure on it until I got some Nectar and Ambrosia. Oh, and by the way, that already happened," I said, thinking back to the time at the back of Goode High, when the Crimson Slayer attacked.

"What about kids?" Jessie asked. I felt cold and hot at the same time. I felt red but I was probably turning blue.

"I'm only fifteen!"

"Would you run away with her?" Alex asked.

"How loud do you snore?" Sam wondered.

"What musical instruments do you play?" Jessie inquired.

"Since you're a son of Poseidon, I'm guessing you don't eat seafood. Right?" Sam asked. They were asking so many questions so fast, that I didn't even have time to answer them. Sort of like a tennis ball machine set on high.

"I thought your dad hates Annabeth's mom. Does that mean Athena hates you? Oh, don't worry, Taylor's parents scare me too. Frankly, in-laws creep me out," Alex said.

"So, no sushi?" I could feel my face get cold, out of embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth peek out of the hallway. She mouthed, "Sorry", but I could tell she was trying really hard not to laugh.

"Percy, your room's ready. It's with Grover and Nico," Annabeth said, saving me from her protective friends. I ran to her side.

"They're like monsters." I took a deep, long breath to let out the air I didn't even know I had been holding in.

"Told you. Hey Jessie, order some takeout. And all of you, no more interrogations. It's weird." And with that, she took my hand and pulled me to the room. She opened the door where Grover and Nico were sitting cross-legged on the floor, with cards in front of them. "Are you two gambling?"

"Maybe," Nico said, turning the other way.

"Umm, okay, well. Percy, you can figure out where to put your stuff," she said, and left the room.

**XXXXXXXX**

After I set my bed, I headed out to the living room where they were all at. The takeout that Jessie ordered just got here and now everyone was attacking it. I just stayed back until it died down, though I was really hungry.

"Hey I almost have all of the stuff I'm looking for," Annabeth said, walking into the room, looking at her checklist. "I just need to find my spare knife which is here somewhere." She bent down looking under the couch. Then she had a look on her face. Realization. "Bobby! Have you been playing with my spare knife?" She ran to Bobby and Matt's room. A few seconds later, Bobby ran through the living room with Annabeth's spare knife in his hand.

"Bobby! You better give me that knife or I'm going to tell dad!" Annabeth ran after her little brother.

"Ha ha! Never!" Bobby laughed hysterically. Annabeth stopped to take breath and fell on the couch, next to me.

"I swear, once I get that knife back, I'm going to shove it right in his stomach," Annabeth growled. I snickered.

"You know it wouldn't work. It would just go through him."

"Oh, I'll make it work." Then she got up to go back to her room.

"Hey, Percy. You should get some food. It's really good," Sam said. I stood up and straightened my shirt, heading to the kitchen where everyone was. I pushed through Nico and Thalia, who were having another fight, and took a look at the food.

Sushi, fish, squid, crab, lobster, clams, and oysters were everywhere. It's like every creature in Long Island Sound was captured and brought here for us to eat. And it was totally nauseating. My hand flew up to my mouth.

"I think I'm going to puke! I need a trash can!" I ran out of the room.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Annabeth's POV**

I opened the door, walking out of my room. And I saw Percy run into the bathroom. I raised an eyebrow and strolled to the kitchen. "Hey, what's with Percy?" I asked. Sam shrugged. Just then, as if on cue, Percy walked into the kitchen, holding his stomach.

"Ugh, stomach acid tastes too much like the turkey Paul made for Thanksgiving. Oh, no." He shielded his eyes from the food. Then I saw. All seafood. My jaw dropped.

"Jessie! Why'd you order seafood?" I started whacking her. "You know Percy can't eat seafood! He can talk to them, for Zeus's sake!"

"Ow! Sorry! I was in the mood for sushi!" I stopped slapping her. Massaging my temples, I walked to the pantry and pulled out two of the microwavable meals. I put both of them in the microwave and looked at them. I glanced at the seafood and then back at my friends. "You people disgust me." And I took the meals out of the microwave, pulling Percy with me to the balcony.

I handed Percy the chicken and roll and at down on one of the chairs. "Thanks," Percy said, pulling up a chair. He positioned it so that it was facing me. When Percy sat down, he was right in front of me.

"Listen, I'm sorry about the seafood incident, and the vomiting . . . My friends can be really out of it sometimes."

"Hey, it's okay," he interrupted me. "I'm used to it." I looked at him skeptically. "Paul likes to order seafood at all the restaurants we go too." I tried not to laugh. "Oh, I know you're laughing. You can hide it from everyone else, but not me," he joked.

"Okay, enough talk of your Ichthyophobia." He looked at me with a blank expression. "Fear of seafood," I explained.

"Oh, yeah." He laughed nervously. "I knew that."

"No you didn't, Seaweed Brain."

"Maybe." He took a bite out of his chicken. Suddenly, there was a long and loud _**HONK!**_ that sounded like it came from right below us. Percy rushed to the edge of the balcony and leaned over. "Oh my-"

"Gods," I finished for him. Below, was all of our friends. And of course, Nico and Thalia were wrestling in the middle of the street. My dad's car had a huge dent on the hood and he was not going to be happy to see that. On impulse, of course, Percy over the balcony. "Wait, Percy! What are you doing?" I asked, but it was too late. At least he landed on his feet.

"Annabeth! Jump!" he yelled. That made me go wide-eyed.

"Wait, what? Percy, are you crazy?"

"Yes, I am. Now jump!"

"That's like a forty-foot drop!"

"Come on, you have to get down here so we can stop Nico and Thalia from killing each other!"

"Then I'll take the stairs!"

"No, you have to get over your Acrophobia!" I smiled. "I wouldn't look so impressed! That's the only phobia I know!" I rolled my eyes.

"Annabeth! Get down here! They're going to end up wrecking your dad's car!" Alex yelled, as she watched Thalia throw Nico into the side of my dad's car. Nico just got back up like nothing happened and threw a punch at Thalia.

"Come on!" Sam yelled.

"Bla-ha-ha!" Grover bleated. I looked over the balcony and hesitated.

"If you're so scared, I promise I'll catch you! Don't you trust me?" Percy held out his arms. I took a deep breath and swung one leg over the railing. I was just about to bring my other leg over the edge and land on my feet to save Percy the trouble. But instead, my foot slipped and I fell. I screamed and covered my eyes, waiting for the crash that would knock the breath out of me. But it didn't come. I peeked through my fingers, and saw Percy's face a few inches away from mine.

"I said I would catch you, didn't I?" he asked, innocently. Our eyes locked for a second and we both smiled.

"Uh, guys?" Grover bleated again. I looked away and blushed. Jessie was staring between Percy and me, giving me a goofy grin.

"Shut up, Jessie," I said, as Percy put me on my feet.

"Hey, I didn't say anything," she said defensively. I rolled my eyes and looked at the situation. Nico was on the ground, on his stomach. Thalia was kneeling on Nico's back, pinning his arms behind him.

"Ugh! Thalia get off me!" Nico yelled, his voice muffled because his face was pressed on the ground.

"Not until you admit Zeus is better than Hades!" Thalia pushed Nico's face into the pavement again.

"In your sick dreams, Pinecone Face!" he managed to yell back. Somehow, Nico hit Thalia with his foot and got free. Then he swung his fist, hitting the back of Thalia's legs. She fell on her knees and now Nico was on top of her. "Ha!" He smiled in victory.

She rolled over, and Nico fell to the ground. After that, it was just a jumble of punches, kicks, and Greek cuss words. "Guys, stop it!" Percy yelled as he tried to pry the two apart. I shook my head, realizing I wasn't doing anything, and ran out into the street to help Percy.

We finally managed to pull the two apart with the help of Jessie, Alex, Sam, and Grover. But they still had to be held back. Nico was still trying to throw punches so I held his arms while Jessie and Sam held his legs. Grover and Alex were trying their best to hold Thalia back. She kept on slipping out of their grips but at least she couldn't hit Nico. Percy was in between the two, his arms outstretched to make sure they wouldn't charge each other.

"You aren't going to hurt each other with me here," he said, but I could tell he wasn't so sure about that statement.

"Percy," Thalia said slowly, "you're a good friend and I don't want to injure you. So move over and let me send that brat to his dad!" She started flailing again.

"No!" Percy yelled. "You're fighting over some stupid debate! And you're acting even more immature than me! Tell me, do you really want to wreck your friendship?"

"Who cares?" Nico answered.

"I'll risk it!" Thalia yelled. I could tell Percy was annoyed. He was biting his lip, probably because he didn't want to cuss.

"Let me rephrase that. Both of you are going to stop fighting over this stupid thing, or I'm going to kick you both in you soft spots!" Percy yelled, threatening. Even I got a little scared, though I knew Percy was too nice to actually do that.

Thalia crossed her arms. "Fine," she muttered.

"What? Sorry I couldn't hear that," Percy held his hand to his ear.

"FINE!" Thalia stomped into the house.

"Nico?" Percy asked.

"I guess," Nico said quietly. He walked into the house, muttering to himself. Percy smiled in satisfaction.

"Good job, Seaweed Brain." I walked up to him and he put his arm around my shoulder. I could tell he was tired. He was breathing heavily and he looked dazed.

"You know, we never did finish our dinner," he said, reminding me of the microwavable meals up on the balcony. I smiled up at him.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Okay this chapter was pretty long. Or well, longer than before. R&R! Do you guys think they're OOC? Tell me what you think. And if you think they're OOC, plz be nice about it. I'm only twelve.**


	4. The Promise

**Okay really really REALLY sorry. I've been really busy and my dad kept on grounding me from the computer. And on top of that, I had major writer's block like you can't imagine. Whenever I opened the document, I would just freeze. And I still had to write my other novels. So yeah. Anyway, I was wondering what you guys thought of the interrogation in the last chapter. So tell me what you think, cause I cherish your opinions. R&R!**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Percy's POV**

"Hey, you two." I pointed at Nico and Thalia, who were across the room from each other. "You're fixing Dr. Chase's car before he gets back."

"What? Do we have to?" Nico complained.

"Yeah. Now go. Move it." Nico's shoulders slumped as he walked out the door, Thalia following behind him. I grinned and brought Annabeth to the balcony. When I opened the door, there was a flock of birds on the table.

"Hey, shoo!" I started waving my arms. They flew away, but once they did, I realized I must've looked like an idiot. I turned around slowly and gave Annabeth a weak smile. She laughed.

"Just sit down," she said, still laughing. I picked up my chicken but I found something white on the top.

"Ah!" I flung my chicken at the table. "The stupid birds left me a little present on my chicken," I said, gesturing to the chicken. I suddenly felt really hungry as I stared at the chicken leg that would never be eaten. Annabeth chuckled and motioned to me.

"Come on, you can share with me," she suggested. She stood up and pulled my chair right next to hers. I sat down and watched her as she carefully took the end of the wasted leg and threw it over the railing.

"Where the heck did chicken leg come from?" we heard Nico ask.

"Why'd you cut off your leg?" Thalia said. "I don't want the stupid thing!" she yelled.

"Stop throwing the chicken leg!"

"Gross! Is that bird poop?" Suddenly there was a car alarming. Thalia threw it into someone's car. Annabeth and I started cracking up. Even though we didn't see it, the audio gave us a pretty good idea of what it looked like.

**XXXXXXXX**

"Percy! Get ready for bed!" Annabeth screamed from across the hall. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow!" I grabbed my pajamas from my duffel bag and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. When I got into the shower, the water was warm and relaxing.

There was a knock at the door. "Occupied!" I yelled.

"Sorry!" A few minutes later, I got out of the shower and willed myself dry. I could've used a towel, but that would just mean the Chases would have to do a little more laundry. That would mean more energy used which is bad for the environment. And then Grover would get all 'What-is-wrong-with-you!-Don't-you-care-about-the-environment?-Why-couldn't-you-just-will-yourself-dry?-You-know-how-much-the-environment-means-to-satyrs!' on me. And trust me, I do not need any more nightmares about dryads and nymphs attacking me in my sleep.

I walked out of the bathroom in my dark blue shirt with my sleeves rolled up and my blue plaid flannel pants. I threw my jeans and shirt into my duffel bag and sat down on my bed.

"I didn't use a towel this time," I said to Grover, who was playing his reed pipes. I wasn't going to tell him that, but I just needed a reason to get him to stop playing.

"Good job, Perce," Grover said. He started playing on his pipes again. Plan failed. I couldn't stand anymore of Grover's songs. I mean they were good songs to make a person fall asleep, but that was the thing. I didn't want to go to sleep yet. It was only nine-thirty.

Finally Grover fell asleep. Silently, I cheered in my head. But then I realized, I was the only one awake. Nico was asleep in his black sleeping bag. Grover was hugging his reed pipes. And I was alone. So I crept out into the hallway and to the balcony where Annabeth and I had our dinner.

I could feel the night air on my face, making me shiver. I rolled down my sleeves and sat down on the cold floor. I stared out at the horizon where the sun had gone down. The moon was just above my head and I could hear the crickets softly chirping. I spent about half an hour out here, thinking, watching my breath fog in the frosty air.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain." My head whipped around. Annabeth was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed. She was wearing a gray cami and black sweatpants. She walked over to me, barefoot, and sat down next to me. "Couldn't sleep either?" I shook my head. She looked at me and then turned her gaze forward. "What are you thinking about?"

"What makes you think I'm thinking about something?" I asked defensively.

"You haven't made a immature comment yet," she teased.

"Well, yeah. I've been thinking . . . . about the prophecy."

"Which one?"

"Both," I said, more as a question. She paused.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"The last line. 'But one will be left behind.' I can't leave any of you behind." I paused. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Annabeth asked, putting my arm around her shoulder. I could tell she was cold because there were goosebumps on her shoulders.

"For bringing you into this." She smiled up at me.

"Percy, I wanted to to come. I would've come even if I wasn't supposed to," she reasoned. _True. Very true._ There was a long silence. I could tell she was thinking, because her stormy gray eyes darkened and she didn't move. "Who do you think going to be left behind?" she asked, her voice piercing the quiet.

"Oh, yeah." I paused. "I don't know. I don't even think that could have another meaning." The insides of my cheek burned from biting it. "But I promise I'll get you back safely." She laughed.

"Pinkie promise?" I suddenly felt like a kindergartner again. I rolled my eyes.

"Pinkie promise."

**XXXXXXXX**

**Sorry for the shortness. But I thought that would be a good place to stop the chapter. And you would get mad if you guys had to wait anymore. And I know this chapter didn't have much happening in it. This was a passing chapter. Again, what you think of the interrogation from the last chapter? Review!**


	5. The Plan

**Chapter 5! Yay! I seriously don't know why I'm so excited. Maybe because I updated earlier! Yeah, go me. Well, R&R!**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Percy's POV**

"Da da dum da da dum da da dum dum dum! Da da DUM! Da da dum dum dum!" I sang as I tapped my fingers on the dining table. Nico ripped the earphones from my ears and whacked me upside the head. "Ow!"

"Stop singing!" He rubbed his eyes. "I'm not a morning person," Nico whined. I stuck out my tongue and heard Annabeth snicker as she came into the room.

"Percy, you are so immature. Nico? What did you do this time?" Annabeth gave me a quick kiss and headed to the stove to help her friends cook breakfast.

"Well, I might have taken Percy's earphones and hit him in the back of the head," Nico said sheepishly. I held out my hand, palm up.

"That reminds me. Give me my earphones," I ordered. He frowned and pulled out the white cords from his pants pocket. I swiftly grabbed it from him and placed it in my ears. "DA DA DUM DUM DUM!" I sang right in his ear. I chuckled when he cringed, fell of his seat, and tried to hit me, as I quickly moved out of range and poured myself a glass of milk. Grover came in, pulling his cap over his curly hair.

"Why are all of you guys still in your pajamas?" Grover asked, stopping in his tracks. I looked around. Yeah, we were all in out pajamas. It's funny how our pajamas reflect on our personalities. Annabeth was wearing her gray cami and black sweats. Thalia had pajama pants that said, 'Piss me off, I'll blast you!' Nico had skulls on his shirt. Alex had a tank top that said 'A pencil and paper are my friends.' Of course, Sam was wearing pajamas with all different kinds of sports equipment on it. Jessie had pants that said 'Bow down to the beauty queen.' And I was wearing my most comfortable pajamas I own. A blue long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark blue plaid flannel pants. I love those. I shrugged at Grover and put away the milk.

"Percy, do you even know where we're supposed to go first to look for Katie?" Annabeth asked, putting a plate of waffles in front of Grover and Nico, who attacked it without a second thought. I shrugged.

"Uhh, I don't know. We're in Brooklyn, right?" She nodded. "We can head northwest through Brooklyn Bridge, then Holland Tunnel into New Jersey. After that we'll go around that area and look for an entrance to the Titan's base camp. How about it?" I pulled on my jacket and sat down next to Grover. Nico nodded, probably because his mouth was chock-fulled of pancakes and syrup.

"Transportation?" Thalia asked, speaking for the first time in a while. She took a pancake from Nico's wrath and drizzled it with syrup.

"Buses. We can't afford to pay for the gas for my truck." They all nodded. Alex sat down on a stool.

"Do you guys always do these quest things?" she asked, purely curious.

"Yeah, but not usually the five of us," Nico said, syrup dribbling down his chin. Thalia slapped him on the shoulder and shoved a napkin at him.

"I got it!" Annabeth exclaimed, walking into the room with a paper in her hand. She gave the paper to me and explained it. "We'll walk to Church Avenue then take a subway. The 2-7 Avenue Express from Church to Chambers Street. It'll only take about 30 minutes," she reasoned.

"Aww! But I don't like the subway!" Grover complained. He never liked anything underground. Even if it was for two seconds. I can't really blame him. He's outdoors-y. It's his nature. Pun intended.

"Suck it up, Goat boy," Thalia said, taking another pancake from Nico.

"Stop stealing my pancakes!"

"Oh, you've had enough!" Thalia said, exasperated, pointing at the four inch tall stack on his plate.

"I'm a growing boy! Growing boys need food!" Nico yelled. I snickered and pulled Annabeth out of the room.

"Come on, before Thalia starts pouring syrup on Nico," I joked. "Though that would look really funny." She smacked my arm.

"Be nice," she scolded. "But we should start packing. We'll have to leave some stuff here."

**XXXXXXXX**

"Well, this is New Jersey," Nico said, looking around. "I guess we better start looking for an entrance. But where do we start?"

"We could start at that buffet," Grover said heading toward the busy restaurant across the street. Thalia grabbed him by his collar and pulled him back.

"Where do you think they would place the Titan's base camp?" Thalia asked.

"Somewhere secluded," Annabeth reasoned. "It has to be someplace where people just can't walk in on accident. But that could be anywhere!" There was a few moments of silence.

"Mountains," I murmured. They all turned to look at me. "The mountains," I said, louder. "She's in the Appalachian Mountains."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked.

I nodded. "One of the dreams I had showed something that looked like the mountains right there." I pointed to my right, showing the mountain range in the distance.

"Remember what Chiron said? Morpheus gave you those dreams. Mr. D said Morpheus sided with Kronos. It seems like a trap to me," Thalia noticed.

Annabeth took one deep breath. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

**Okay, I know. Really short. But there wasn't much happening in this chapter. So I decided to end this one and get on with the good stuff. It'll be more interesting in the next chapter, I promise. Do you guys think the plan is too confusing? Tell me.**


	6. Opening

**Okay, I would've updated sooner. But I hadn't read my own prophecy in a while so I got mixed up and it took me a while to edit.**

**XXXXXXXX **

**Percy's POV  
**

"Ugh! I need water!" Nico complained. "How long until we find the stupid entrance?"

"Nico," Annabeth groaned. "Stop complaining! It really isn't going help. Can you actually try?"

"Fine. But something feels weird. Like someone's dying."

"Don't you feel that all the time?" I asked, spinning around to see if I could find anything that could be an entrance.

"No, this is different. It's stronger, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Ow, Grover. Stop leaning on me," Thalia said, trying to push Grover off her shoulder. He stood up, then fell right to the ground.

**XXXXXXXX**

"Food!" I yelled in Grover's ears. "Food!" I paused to think. "Enchiladas!" Grover sat up so fast, hitting his head against mine.

"OW! What the heck! That hurt!" I complained, rubbing the sore spot on my forehead. "That's going to bruise."

"Wimp," I heard Thalia mutter from the other side of the room.

"What happened? Where are we?"

"Slow down, Goat Boy. First of all, you passed out. We had to drag you half a mile to this cave. You've been out for three days."

"We're wasting precious time!" Annabeth yelled, exasperated. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped a two inch wide branch, letting out uneven breaths of air. Suddenly, the thick branch snapped in two, but the pieces did not fall from her hands.

"She's been like that ever since we got here." I walked up behind her and put each of my hands on hers, trying to pry it from the pieces. "Annabeth," I said gently and cautiously in her ear, as if she was a porcelain doll that could break at any second. "Annabeth, let go of the branch. It's going to be fine. Katie's going to be fine. We're going to find her. Now let go." She hesitated and she loosened her grip, but she didn't let go. "Annabeth, let go. You're going to get worry lines on your forehead. Okay, one hand at a time."

Gradually, she loosened her grasp and let it go. "Lie down, Annabeth." I said. "You need rest." She held her arms up for me. I bent down and picked her up from the log, bridal style, and she wrapped her arms around my neck, her head in the crook of my neck.

"Hey lover boy," Nico called from the cave entrance. I turned around, Annabeth's legs almost kicking Nico in the face. "Well, Thalia and I are going to look around and jack some food from some lonely animals."

"What's the rule?" I asked, prompting him.

He smiled and answered. "Don't get caught," the recited.

"Good, now go. Annabeth needs some lunch." I noticed Grover fell back to sleep, his horns poking tiny holes in the pillow we brought. I gently laid Annabeth across the other blanket on the cave floor and pulled her arms from around my neck and started to walk away when I heard her move.

"No, stay here," she pleaded, pulling my hand. I smiled and sat down on the other side of the blanket, leaning against the cave wall. She turned to face me and buried her face in my chest, her arm stretched across. I put my arm out to support her head and ran my fingers through her long blonde hair.

**XXXXXXXX**

"Grover!" Thalia yelled. "Wake up!" Grover sat up, the pillow still stuck in his horns. "You have to help us look for an entrance."

Grover quickly got ready and followed us inside the cave.

**XXXXXXXX**

"This is impossible!" Annabeth yelled, her voice echoing. She let out a deep breath and slid down the cave wall to sit on the sandy cave floor. "We're never going to find anything." I sat down next to her and rubbed her shoulders, trying to relieve her of her stress.

"I . . I think I found something!" Thalia called from deeper in the cave. We ran over to find a symbol etched onto the wall with a circle surrounding it. It was red and glowing, but dim. Though the more I stared at it, it seemed to glow brighter. "It's Kappa, the Greek symbol for 'K'. You know what that means. This is an entrance to Kronos's base camp."

"But how do we open it?" Nico asked.

"It probably needs a demigod to touch it." Nico hesitated then stretched his hand out, placing two fingers on the glowing symbol only to pull back, a tail of smoke coming from the wall. Nico turned his hand over to look at his fingers.

"What happened?" Nico asked, squeezing his finger. "It wasn't a demigod that could open it. So what?" Annabeth shook her head in disappointment.

"It's probably just a fake. Think about it. Kronos wouldn't want just any demigod getting in his base. We're never going to find an entrance." They all walked toward the cave opening but I stayed staring at the glowing symbol. It was still getting brighter. For some reason, I felt my hand reaching towards it as if something was controlling me. As my hand got closer, it glowed even brighter until it was a blinding white.

I felt the indentation of the symbol and the wall shifted, rocks falling from the top.

"How'd you open it?" Grover asked from behind me. I got out of my trance and looked at the opening, wide-eyed.

"Uhh, I just . . . I have no idea." I passed my hand through the entrance, making sure I wasn't hallucinating. I wasn't. Annabeth's tired and weary face turned to a relieved and excited expression.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

**XXXXXXXX**

**Yay! The prophecy's coming true! I explain in the next chapter. Which is probably going to be in a 2-3 days since I already wrote half of it. Plus. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of catching up, considering I wrote two and a half chapters in one day. Anyway, R&R!**


	7. AUGH!

**Oh, dear. If I was allowed to curse, I would probably go to jail for what I would say. This week has been AWFUL! %$#! Guess what? The computer is apparently REALLY SCREWED UP! I'm writing this on my mom's laptop. I did my best to save all of my documents, but to no avail. ! So now ALL of my documents are gone. *SOB* I can't believe it. Everything I have ever written is gone. I wrote the next chapter for High School: Part Two and Annabeth Says and I was going to post it. But it's gone. Not to mention the fanfics I was going to post later in the year. For example, the new crossover I was writing. And the new Percy Jackson fanfic. ALL GONE! I have to rewrite everything. EVERYTHING! I'm really sorry for ranting and using all capitals. I know a lot of you hate that. But I don't want you to hold it against me. Not to mention I'm going to California for a week. So I can't update. But I'll try. And I mean really try. On the up side, now my mom will get me my own laptop that I have been waiting for the whole summer. So I'm probably not going to be updating for a while. #%$! And sorry for all the cuss words. Hopefully I'll get things figured out and start writing before school starts again for me. For now, Au Revoir!**

**~perkygirl1998 (BTW, I ain't so perky anymore, am I! That's right, you #&*#*& computer! $%$!)**


	8. Tricks

**Okay, I know all of you are really POed at me. So I'm going to save the excuses until after you're done reading. For now just read.**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Percy's POV**

_Oh, crap._ I looked ahead of me and guess what I saw? If you think I saw seven tunnels forking from the spot we're on, you guessed right.

"What the Tartarus are we supposed to do now?" Nico asked, peering inside each of the murky tunnels. "Oh gross. What is this?" He pulled back his hand and showed us something on his hand. I pursed my lips.

"It looks like poo," I commented, my inner fiver-year-old coming out. Annabeth smiled and rolled her eyes at me.

"It's just wet mud. But do you guys smell that?" Annabeth asked, taking Nico's wrist and wiping his hand on shirt. Grover stuck his nose in the air and sniffed.

"Yeah it smells like orange blossom with a hint of cloves." We all looked at him with a disbelieving expression. "What?" I shook my head and picked up something that was blown next to my feet. It was an orange-ish flower.

"Isn't this a poppy?" I asked, knowing that I'll be corrected.

"Yep." I almost fell to the ground.

"Wait, you mean I was right?" I asked, wide-eyed. "Seriously?"

"Yes!" Annabeth smiled. "You finally got something right, Seaweed Brain."

"Hey," I said, all defensive.

"Do you guys know what this means?" Thalia asked, speaking for the first time in a long time. "These are all signs of Demeter." Annabeth's eyes lit up.

"Katie's nearby."

**XXXXXXXX**

We kept on walking. Until we felt the ground rumbling, turning on and off. Like a little kid who just got tall enough to reach the light switch. "Run!" Annabeth yelled, dodging the boulders falling from the ceiling. She ran deeper in the cave with all of us following behind.

"What's happening?" Grover yelled over the commotion, letting out another 'Bla-ha-ha!' His hooves clacked against the cave floor.

"Something found us!" Nico yelled. Suddenly, the rumbling stopped and we looked at one another, not sure how we should react. "So," Nico said, dragging the 'o'. "What do we do now?"

I looked up, not seeing the ceiling. I popped my cheeks, making the sound of a bubble when it bursts. It echoed and I turned to them, laughing. Thalia punched me in the shoulder. "Ow! Sorry." I saw their eyes widen and something dripped onto my forearm. I bit my lip and looked at my arm.

"Okay, gross!" I shook my arm, the goo splattering on the walls. "Stupid cave. Wait, that's not found in caves." It took me a little while to contemplate, but I finally figured it out. "Something's behind me isn't there?" They didn't do anything but I turned around anyway. There, in front of me, was the biggest hydra I have ever seen.

"Don't-" Annabeth started. I whipped out Riptide. "pull out your sword," she said, her voice drifting off. _Too late. _The sight of the gleaming celestial bronze made the Hydra erratic. Each of its nine heads swung in nine different directions.

I knew what Hydras do. You cut off one head, two more grow back. But of course, I just had to. Instead of breathing fire on me, the stupid thing just had to unveil about a gazillion of its yellow teeth. I stumbled backwards and swung my arm. I felt my sword pierce its flesh, passing through as if it were just one of the dummies back at the camp's sword arena. I heard a _chink _as the stub fell to the ground. Looking down, I saw the mouth slowly clamp together, masking its teeth.

"Why the Tartarus did you do that?" Thalia growled. I rolled my eyes and spun around to face her.

"Well, sorry! But I like my head attached to my body!" I watched as a neck grew and split into two more identical heads.

"Just kill it!" Grover complained, swinging his backpack in an arc. It slipped out of his grip, since he starts sweating like crazy when he's frightened. It skidded across the cave floor and stopped at the other side. He yelped and pulled his pipes out of his pocket.

"Annabeth, what do we do?" I yelled as I rolled on the ground trying to avoid the stupid fire-breathing monster.

"The only thing we can do- Run!" she started to head the way we came.

"Wait, that way?" I asked, utterly forgetting the fact that there was a monster attempting to murder us. "Whoa!" I ducked just in time to feel one of its many fire-breathing heads brush across my back. "Okay, running!" I followed the footsteps of my friends until we were out of the tunnel and back to where we started.

"Great. So now what?" Grover asked exasperated as we stared at the seven tunnels.

"Wait. It's quiet. No hydra?" Thalia asked holding a hand out for silence.

"It's like it just wanted to get out of the tunnel," Annabeth said slowly, the tiny gears turning in her head.

"Ugh, I don't want to think!" Nico complained. "I haven't slept in, like, three days. I'm just going to . .," Nico said slurred as he fell to the ground, "crash here."

We were silent as we all regarded Nico sleeping peacefully on the cold cave floor. Even after almost getting killed by the Hydra. "How does he do that?" Annabeth wondered. Grover shrugged and sat on the ground, a couple feet away from Nico.

"I don't know about you guys, but that is a great idea. He's right. We haven't slept in three days. So . . night!" Within seconds, Grover was snoring, hugging his pipes. Thalia shrugged and went to sleep, one foot away from Nico.

I shook my head and laughed a little. Then I noticed Annabeth fell asleep on my shoulder, just like on our first date. "Come on, Annabeth." I slowly guided her to the other side of the cave, pulled a blanket one of Annabeth's siblings made for the journey out of my backpack, and set it down.

Gently laying her down, I sat next to her, slipping my arm around her so she was sleeping on my shoulder again. I laid my other hand across my stomach, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you really think we can find Katie?" she mumbled. I turned my head to see her with her gray eyes slightly open, looking straight at me.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't we?" I reassured her, even if I wasn't so sure myself.

"Percy, I'm your girlfriend. I can see right though you. Now tell me what you _really _think." I could hear her drifting off, her voice faltering.

"I- I just don't know anymore. But we have to. We just do." By the time I finished, she was asleep and I was talking to the air.

**XXXXXXXX**

_I saw the familiar room, smoke swirling around my feet. Powered by my ADHD, I walked through the dismal corridor and entered the same room as before. The only difference was that Katie was leaning against the coffin as if she were waiting for me._

_"Hey Percy, it's been a while."_

_"Katie," I breathed. I gave her a friendly hug. "You have no idea how hard we've been trying to find you."_

_"And I'm grateful." She smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. Then her expression turned somber. "But Percy, you have to listen to me. He'll try to deceive you. Give you false ideas. Even send monsters that don't even want to fight."_

_"You mean the Hydra? Yeah, I got that."_

_"Percy, listen. He'll send you on a different path. He knows you're here. He'll throw you off your tracks. Anything. That's when he's planning to kill. Me, to be exact." She looked at the ground, even though I was pretty sure there _was_ no ground._

_"No," I said firmly. "We won't let that happen. You're too good of a person to die."_

_She gave me another small smile, then diverted her gaze. "You, of all people, should know that life doesn't always go the way you want it to. Especially for demigods. Sometimes things have to be sacrificed."_

_"What? Don't say that. We'll find you." I started to panic. I know it's possible for Kronos to kill her. But I definitely didn't want her thinking that._

_"Just remember this. He'll do anything to see that you fail. And he has something bad up his sleeve. And I mean, really bad. He said it'll kill the camp. So don't believe everything you see."_

_"Percy! Percy!" someone yelled in the distance. "Percy!" I saw Katie's figure start to dissipate._

_"Wait, Katie!" She was gone._

_"Percy!"_

**XXXXXXXX**

"Percy!" My eyes shot open. Annabeth was kneeling beside me, shaking me awake, her eyes soft for the first time in a long time. "You have to see this."

She pointed across the cave where I saw two figures on the ground. "Who would've thought?"

It was Thalia and Nico. Nico had one arm around her shoulders and Thalia was tightly gripping the sleeve of his jacket. Her head was in the crook of his neck, his head leaning on hers.

"Yeah, who would've thought?" I echoed Annabeth. _Weird. _

"I wonder if we look like that? I mean, you know how I always fall asleep on you. Hmm," Annabeth wondered, her head cocked to the side. "Should we wake them up? They look so peaceful."

"Duh. Everytime I ask Nico about Thalia he would just say nothing going on. I need him to see."

"Same here." She grinned mischievously. "Come on." She stood up and waved for me to follow her. "On three, we pull the blanket and flip them." We both gripped one end of the blanket underneath them. "One."

"Two," I said.

"Three!" we both whispered. With one tug, they flipped. Thalia fell on top of Nico, who groaned and opened his eyes.

"What the crap!" Nico complained, rubbing his eyes.

"Whoa!" Thalia shouted. She immediately got off of Nico and she wouldn't make eye contact with him. Same with Nico.

"So, nothing going on between you two, huh?" I asked them. "You lovebirds get ready." I smirked and turned around, starting to walk to Annabeth who was hiding her smile by packing her bag. "We got a long day ahead of us!" I called behind me, my voice bouncing back from the cave walls.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Just thought I'd end this chapter with some Percabeth and Thalico. And I would've updated sooner, but I wanted to make this better and longer cause you guys had to wait.**

**Hey, what is up peoples of earth! I just really wanted to say thank you to Sea green girl for the review! I've been waiting for someone to notice that I didn't want Percy and Annabeth to be that sort of crazy couple that has to be making out every waking moment. Virtual cupcakes to everyone who noticed that! **

**Anyway, since the computer crashed, it's been really confusing for me. It was hard trying to retype everything. Not to mention, I didn't know where to type it. My mom got me an iPad (even though I specifically said I didn't want one) and I tried typing on that. But since that has a crappy keyboard, I couldn't. So I told my mom about that, and now that thing is the rest of the family's (and I really couldn't care less). So I tried to wait for my own laptop because my dad said we were selling one of our cars. We just sold the car and I talked about my laptop to my parents. It turns out I have to wait another few months until Christmas (which is pretty stupid, considering prices go up during the holidays). I'm getting really frustrated. They say I always put things off, when they keep on promising they'll get me one. I asked for one about two years ago. They said sure since I always follow the rules, never get in trouble, and always get straight A's (not to mention, **_**I'm**_** the one keeping my older sister out of trouble). So I still don't have one to type with, and in a few months I'm going to have to transfer my documents again. So be ready for another month-long break of updating during winter.**

**Well, school started for me. I'm sorry for ranting but no one else will listen. My parents made me go to this 'prison' school. And I hate it. HATE IT! It's this really strict school for nerds. I mean I'm proud to be a nerd and i'm proud that I was accepted to that advanced school. But I love being the nerdiest among other people. There, everyone is a nerd. So I'm not known for my smarticals. :*( And I was excited to see my old friends. And suddenly my mom drops the bomb. I'm going to a nerd school. You won't believe how small the school is. They only have about fifteen classrooms. A few weeks ago, I thought "I feel so sad for those people." Now, it's, "I feel so sad for myself."**

**Not to mention, my crush is going to the school I was**_** about **_**to go to. I haven't seen him in such a long time. Do you know how hard it is to think I was so close? Well, of course you do. But he has been my crush since I was four. I'm twelve and a half. And I haven't seen him since third grade. Now I have to wait another year before my mom will let me go to that school with him. I officially hate seventh grade. That's really sad considering my sister said it would be the best year of my life and I'm stuck in some prison ward that won't let me do anything.**

**They said it's a privilege to go there. And that people were dying to go there. And there are always people to take our place if we get expelled for not turning in our homework. (And yes, I'm serious. We get six chances. Miss two, get detention. Miss another two, get another detention. Miss another two, get another detention. Meaning, miss six assignments, get suspended for a day and possibly expelled.) UGH!**

**Again, sorry for ranting.**

**Anyway, R&R! (BTW, this is probably **_**the **_**longest author's note ever)**


	9. Confessions

**Hey, I know it has been a while, but this time I actually have a good reason. Of course, you people know The Lost Hero comes out today. Well, my mom doesn't give me an allowance, so I had to work extra hard to earn money so I could get the book. That meant sacrificing some of my writing time to do some extra chores. So now that I have enough money, I can write again! Yay! And I put up a poll on my profile about a new fic I thought of. If you guys like the idea, I'll start writing it once I'm done with this and Annabeth Says. Anyway R&R!**

**P.S. Full Thalico!**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Annabeth's POV**

You know, I've noticed that Thalia and Nico wouldn't look up. They wouldn't look at me, at Percy, at Grover, and especially not at each other. It's either they were still embarrassed of what happened earlier, or there was something majorly wrong with their necks. Most probably the first option. Yeah.

I looked at Grover and Percy, who was reading the map of the cave upside down.

"Hey, Annabeth?" Percy craned his head to the right. "I thought you said this map was in Greek. I can't understand a thing."

I snickered and leaned my head on his arm, taking the bottom of the map and bringing it to the top. "It's called, 'right side up.' Learn it, remember it, use it."

He nodded his head and smiled at me sheepishly. "I was testing you." I arched an eyebrow. His gaze left mine as he quietly said, "You passed."

I softly laughed and glanced at Thalia who should've made a snarky comment, probably along the lines of 'dumber than a rock.' You know, all that jazz. But Thalia ran her finger along the cave wall, not noticing anything. I groaned, throwing my head back.

Percy smiled and came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. "I was kinda wondering if you could maybe . . . help me with the map?" He held up the map, upside down.

"Come on," I said, pulling him to Nico. "Not until you talk to Nico."

"Why?" he whined. "He's going to shoot me for waking him up. I don't know about you, but I like living."

"That's just in your head. As much as he has a temper problem, he wouldn't do that." I pushed him but he dug his heels into the ground.

"How do you know?"

"Because it would be really stupid to kill someone you hate. Well, for him, at least. If he kills you, he's still going to see you when he visits his dad," I reasoned.

"Comforting." He tried to escape but I just smiled and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Unh-uh. You're talking to him and I'll make sure of it.

"But-,"

"No. Plus you're not going to be alone. I'm going to talk to Thalia." He paused.

"But I don't want to," he said, giving me his pouty face. _Great. _I felt my brain melt as I tried to remember what I just said. Yeah, he still has that effect on me. Especially with that stupid pouty face! I swallowed, took a deep breath, and put on a straight face.

"You are talking to Nico and that's that." I smiled at him.

He released a breath and slumped his shoulders. "Fine. But if I die and the big prophecy becomes about Nico, and he breaks under the stress and the whole world hates you, it's gonna be on your conscience," he pointed out.

I scoffed. "I'll take that risk." He raised an eyebrow at me and walked over to the goth-ish kid.

I took a deep breath and turned around. _Time to talk to Thalia. _**(A/N: Haha! I just used alliteration! Pretty cool, huh?)**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Percy's POV**

"Nico?" I asked cautiously. He swiftly pulled out his Stygian Iron sword and held it out. "Whoa, dude! I just want to talk!"

"Then this would be a perfect time to kill you," he threatened. I had an urge to call for Annabeth, but I ignored it. I had to know why this bugged him so much.

"Nico, just put it down. I'm sorry for waking you up while you were sleeping." I paused. "Next to Thalia," I added. He took a step forward with his sword. "Whoa, hey I was kidding. Sorry. Settle down."

He finally set his sword down and took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I could ask you the same thing. This was my quest. I'm the one who invited you. So the question is-,"

"I meant, why are you here talking to me?" he asked, exasperated.

"Oh." I was finally beginning to understand why people say I'm so stupid. "Well, I'm talking to you because I want to know why it bugged you so much.

"Because it's embarrassing! I've known Thalia for about four years, and then I wake up and find out I was sleeping with her!" I snickered. "Oh, you know what I mean! And it's not funny!"

"Okay! Okay! It's not funny." I pursed my lips and did my best to hide my smile. "But seriously. I know there's more to the story. Just tell me and I'll go away. I promise."

"There's nothing else to it," he said simply.

"Okay," I said, walking away.

"Wait." He grabbed my arm, just as I thought he would. "Would it be weird if I told you I liked her?" **(A/N: If any of you guys haven't noticed, Thalia is not a huntress. I thought it would be somewhat obvious, but just in case. I didn't want any comments like "OMG you're so stupid." Anyway, continue. :D****) **I smiled, finally satisfied with his answer. I looked over to where Annabeth was talking to Thalia. Thalia took a small glance at Nico and turned back to Annabeth. I pulled Nico's arm further into the cave to make sure the others couldn't hear us. I needed to talk with Nico on a much deeper level than I thought.

"Nico, why the heck do you think that would be weird? I mean 'weird' is a son of Poseidon dating a daughter of Athena. But look at Annabeth and me now. Our parents hate each other and no one would even think that we would date in a million years! No scratch that. Eternity!" I paused when Nico looked at me funny. "The word just seemed more appropriate," I shrugged. "Anyway, everyone got over Annabeth and me dating. Well, everyone except our parents. So what's so wrong if you like her. If you like her, go for it. If there's nothing holding you back, then why not?"

Nico looked away and stole another glance at Thalia. "Do you really think so?" he asked quietly. It was weird seeing him like this. So unsure and vulnerable. I nodded. "Then yeah, I'll go for it. And thanks for the pep talk, even if it was scary weird."

"I'd like to point out that you live for 'scary weird.' And anytime, dude." I smiled.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Annabeth's POV **

"So," I started as Thalia sharpened one of her arrows. "Thalia. Tell me something."

"I like Green Day. Now can you leave me alone?" I groaned.

"That wasn't the 'something' I wanted to know!"

"Well, you're not getting _something _else!" she yelled, putting way too much emphasis on the word.

"Okay, look. I just want to know why you're taking this so hard. It's not that embarrassing is it?" I asked, trying to pry deeper.

"Yeah, it's embarrassing."

"Thalia, come on. I know you better than that. Something else's bugging you. And it's not embarrassment."

Okay, seriously. Is it just me or is there something wrong with her neck? She wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Thalia? Do you like Nico?" I asked cautiously.

"Huh?"

"Thalia, I know you heard me. Do you like Nico or not?" I could almost see the little gears in her brain trying to think of a way out. She finally gave in.

Slumping her shoulders, "Yeah. Why? Is that bad? Oh, I knew it was bad. I kept on trying to talk myself out of it. But you know I couldn't. It's just- Why does he have to be so freaking cute? And those brown eyes! Don't even get me started on those! But I really tried to talk myself out of it! I really did. I know it's weird, but-,"

"Thalia!" I laughed. "There's nothing wrong with you liking him! Plus, I think he likes you, too." I smiled and gave her a knowing look. She glanced over at Nico, who was, as expected, looking at her too. She quickly looked back at me.

"How do you know?"

"Well, you two looked really cozy last night, you two always look away when you make eye contact, and you fight," I reasoned.

"So?" she shrugged.

"I always fall asleep on Percy. Before we started dating, I would always look away when he looked at me. And we bicker."

"Ah. I get it now." She paused. "So what should I do?"

"Talk to him, definitely."

"Now?"

"Now," I confirmed. She took a deep breath and walked over to Nico, who was done talking to Percy.

"Hey, Nico."

Percy smiled and walked over to me. "What happened with Thalia? She looks all happy. It's weird."

I pushed him lightly on the shoulder. "So what if she's happy?" We watched them as they talked and laughed.

"We did a good job," Percy said, smirking and crossing his arms.

"They grow up so fast," I said, shaking my head.

"You're mothering them."

I gasped, pretending to be offended. "Oh, no you didn't"

He laughed. "Oh, yes I di-id," he said playing along. I raised an eyebrow at him then slapped him on the arm. "Ow!" he whined. Then he got this scary look on his face. "Annabeth?" He smiled.

"What?" I asked slowly.

"Are you ticklish?" he asked, almost mockingly.

"I don't kn-." He quickly wrapped his arms around me and started to tickle. I shrieked, my scream echoing through the cave. I could feel Grover, Thalia, and Nico looking at the two of us make fools of ourselves. "No, stop it!" I laughed. He tickled me again and I jumped, bringing my arms up as a wall. On instinct, I grabbed his wrists and looked him straight in the eyes. "I am not ticklish," I said, trying to sound threatening.

"I beg to differ." He smirked. _Oh my goodness. His eyes. Snap out of it!_ I turned my head to see our friends looking at us with raised eyebrows. "What?" Percy told them. "There's nothing to see here."

They shrugged and went back to their business. Percy turned back to me, smiling. I tilted my head up, intertwining my fingers with his.

"You know, you never told me what happened between you and Nico," I said quietly.

"Later." Then he leaned in and kissed me.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Haha! I finally finished. This chapter was especially made for all the cutesy stuff and lovey dovey stuff. So I hope this chapter was satisfying. I'll be back for more! Review!**


	10. Explanations

**Haha! I'm back! I'm feeling really happy and in the mood for Percy Jackson! So hope you like this chappie!**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Percy's POV**

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, placing her hand on my arm. "Are you okay? You seem kind of distant."

"Yeah, dude. You haven't talked in, like, an hour," Grover commented.

"Well, honestly? I don't know. I had this dream a day ago . . . with Katie in it."

"What?" Thalia yelled. "And you didn't tell us about it? It could've had useful information. What happened?"

I closed my eyes trying to remember it. "Well, she said Kronos would do anything to throw us off our track. That's why the Hydra didn't follow us. It just wanted us to go somewhere else. Also that Kronos had something else planned. Something that would kill the camp."

The cave was suddenly filled with silence as they let my words sink in. Annabeth pulled at her hair. "Ugh! I hate not knowing! It's so frustrating!"

"Hey guys?" We all turned to face Grover. "We totally forgot about the prophecy. What was it again?"

Nico said, "It was, _Five shall find the one you lost,_

_ But nothing will be accomplished without cost._

_ You will be admitted by the burdens you carry,_

_ But be held back by the curse of the wary._

_ Be falsely led when you find the pawn's mark,_

_ And find the answer when the mind's portrayals are dark._

_ You'll come upon the one you call 'traitor'_

_ And the one who will lead you through greater._

_ It shall be victory you find,_

_ But one will be left behind."_

Wow. Even now that last line makes me depressed.

"So we got that first line figured out," Annabeth started. "The second line . . . was when you two were fighting about your dads," she said pointing at Thalia and Nico. "You guys didn't want to stop but you had to or you would just destroy everything in your path. The third line . . . was when we got in the entrance to the base."

"Percy's the burden we carry?" Thalia asked, snickering and holding back a laugh. Nico twisted his face to keep from laughing.

"Shut up," I warned.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "_Or _it means the burdens Percy carries."

"The Great Prophecy," I said, almost instinctively, interrupting her. I just automatically thought of it. "Sorry."

"No, I think you're right. That's it. You're the one in the prophecy and that's probably why you could open it, not one of us. Okay, so the fourth line means . . . I have no idea. What were we held back by?"

"Guilty," Grover bleated sheepishly. **(A/N: No pun intended. :D)**

"Grover," Nico started. "What are you talking about?"

"You guys were held back by me. Remember when I passed out for three days?" We all nodded, realization coming to us.

"But what does it mean by 'curse of the wary'?"

Annabeth started to pace in circles around the four of us. "Well, wary means cautious."

"Yeah, we nature people can be very quirky and very prudent," Grover commented, shaking his head.

"And the curse could also just mean something that no one else has to deal with," Annabeth said, tapping her fingers on her leg. "These stupid double meanings are giving me a headache. So the 'curse' would be the reason Grover passed out . . . which is Pan?" **(A/N: Yeah I know. Confusing. So in short 'curse of the wary' means he passed out because of Pan)  
**"The fifth line- 'Be falsely led when you find the pawn's mark,'" Thalia started. "So pawn- that would be Katie. And her mark?"

"The poppy," Nico murmured. We all turned around to look at him. "The poppy," he repeated. "And Grover said he smelled orange blossoms and cloves. Those were marks of her mom. And that led us into the Hydra. 'Be falsely led when you find the pawn's mark.'"

"'And find the answer when the mind's portrayals are dark'?" Grover asked. "What the Hades does that mean?"

"Mind's portrayals, mind's portrayals," Annabeth repeated to herself, pacing again. "Dreams?" she asked. "Then that would mean we found the answer in a dream. In Percy's dream," she said, realization dawning on her face. "But what answer?"

Thalia said, "The answer of why the Hydra didn't pursue us. Kronos has something else in store for us."

"The rest of it didn't happen yet, so we're good."

"Wow," Nico muttered. "We've gone all this way and we didn't even think of the prophecy. More than half of it is already completed." A blanket of silence swept over us as we pondered his words.

Thalia looked at me. "Percy? Seriously, are you okay? You've barely said anything." I didn't have to answer for Annabeth to know what was on my mind.

"Percy, the last line- everything's going to turn out fine. It'll all work out in the end," she reassured me, even though she didn't sound so sure herself. "Don't stress over it."

I nodded, but I couldn't help thinking, "_There'll only be four of us going back to camp."_

**XXXXXXXX**

**Yeah, I know really short, boring and kinda confusing. But I wanted to dedicate this chapter for the explanations. If any of you guys were confused, PM me on which part and I'll explain it in a more detailed way. Don't put it in a review. And don't forget, the poll for a new story is up and I need voters! So if you could just vote, it would make my world! Review! :D**


	11. Contacting Camp

**AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! Yeah, no excuse. Blah, blah, all that lecture stuff. On with the story! And a special thanks to my new beta (who's currently looking for requests. She's really THOROUGH. Look through this chapter and look for an error . . . Yeah, I thought so), PriceX3Jayme! (a.k.a. my sister!) Look her up!**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Percy's POV**

"Nico, Grover! Distract it!" Annabeth yelled, having a plan already in mind. "Percy, attack it from the front! Thalia, get on top!" She breathed deeply. "I'm going behind!"

I uncapped my sword and the glow of the celestial bronze almost immediately made the hellhound go berserk. Swinging its head in all directions, I barely dodged it. I groaned and charged it from the front, just like Annabeth said.

Beside me, Thalia was shooting arrows, multiple at a time. Invisible, Annabeth yelled from the other side of the cave. "Thalia! I said get on top!"

I quickly looked at Thalia and she was analyzing the scene as if she was looking for a way to get on the hellhound's shoulders.

"Thalia!" I placed one of my hand on the other and stuck both of them in front of me, making a step for Thalia to jump on. She looked between the monster and me, like she needed to decide whether or not to listen. "Come on! Now!" I yelled.

She backed up for a running start and once I felt her black boot on my hand, I threw her up. With a _thud!_ she landed perfectly on its shoulder. The hellhound feebly attempted to shake her off, making it much harder for us to attack.

"Hey!"I yelled. The hellhound jerked its black head toward me. I swung Riptide and just barely scratched some skin off of its face. It roared, leaving Thalia hanging on for dear life.

Looking to my left, I saw Grover playing on his reed pipes, probably playing a distraction spell. Nico was out of breath from making darkness to cloud the hellhound's vision.

The world around me seemed to slow as Thalia screamed Nico's name. Nico gasped and fell to the cold, dusty cave floor. Leaving the hellhound, I ran over to my cousin's side.

I knelt down and tried to shake him awake. "Nico!" I called. I opened his eyelids and saw his dark brown eyes rolling around. I quickly closed them and started to shake him awake again. He can't be the one we'd be leaving behind.

"Grover!" I yelled. I knew he could play a healing spell with his reed pipes. I stood up. "Grov-,"

I was cut off when I felt a sharp pain in my side and my arm. Suddenly my vision went black as I was slammed into the wall and fell to the ground. Following me, a few loose rocks from the cave wall fell from the impact.

**XXXXXXXX**

" . . ._swear, Percy, if you don't wake up in the next five seconds, I will-,"_

"Thalia," I said, my voice sounding like Scrooge and my throat feeling like sandpaper. "Shut up."

I looked to my left and saw Annabeth pacing and mumbling to herself. She caught my eye and gasped. She surprised me when she skidded on her knees, kneeling by my side and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing the life out.

She pulled back, holding me at arm's length and she punched me on my right shoulder.

"Do you know how much you scared us?" I could see worry in her steely gray eyes.

My eyes widened as I remembered what happened. "Wait, where's Nico?" I asked, sitting up. I suddenly felt the pain in my left side. I yelped, cringing at the pain.

"Dude, lie down." I looked up and saw Nico, gently pushing me down on the blanket.

"What-,"

"I was just tired. I used too much of my power," he explained. "That's what happens to us-children of the Big Three."

Thalia came over, speaking up. "I thought you knew that, considering you have to use yours more than the rest of us."

I let their words sink in. "Well, I guess I did. I just never knew it happened to you guys, too."

"Hey," Annabeth started, "Are you okay? That hit looked pretty hard."

"Yeah," Grover agreed. "You broke your left arm and two ribs. I tried playing a healing spell, but it's not fully mended."

I pressed a hand against my side and everything the waist down surged in pain. I sucked in a breath. "Uh, give me a few minutes."

They both nodded. Grover walked away to play his reed pipes again. Annabeth stayed by my side, gripping my hand so hard I could see my fingers turn purple. I was going to tell her it kinda hurt but decided against it. Now I know that's probably not a good idea, seeing as I need blood supply. But at least I knew my body was still working properly. Most of all, I knew she needed reassurance that I wasn't going to disappear in the next ten seconds.

"Grover," I called. He stopped playing, ending the song with a _pfft!_ like when the last of the helium escapes a balloon.

"Yeah?"

"Iris-message Chiron. It's been a week." He nodded and pulled out a dirty gold Drachma out of his jacket pocket.

He threw it into the air. "Chir- Wait, there's no mist." Grover caught the Drachma.

"I'm going to regret this," I muttered. I remembered the words of the river naiad I met months ago at the Triple G Ranch. _"You're not so different from me, demigod. Even when I'm out of the water, the water is within me."_

The familiar tug in my stomach was ten times worse because of my broken ribs, but I kept my concentration. We had to contact camp.

"Um, Percy?" Annabeth asked tentatively, squeezing my hand as if her life depended on it. "Are you- " she started, but Thalia cut her off.

"Shh. He needs to focus or it won't work." The pain grew until it was searing. Excruciating. Unbearable.

"I can see your life aura fading," Nico whispered from the corner. Then a burst of water sprayed up from a fissure in the cave floor. The pain lessened until it was only a numbing feeling.

"Thalia, light," I said, my voice weak. She nodded and cracks of blue electricity ran up and down her arm. It wasn't much, but it was the best we could do. It was enough for just a few flickers of a rainbow at a time.

Grover took that as his cue and he threw the Drachma up. "Iris, O Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering," he said. "Show me Chiron, Camp Half-Blood."

_Signal not strong enough. Please insert another Drachma._ Grover grumbled to himself, taking another Drachma from his pocket. "_Now _show me Chiron, Camp Half-Blood."

Thalia's light wavered, but she quickly recovered and an image of Chiron showed up in the mini fountain I made.

"-atie will be found. Do not fret. And Travis, Connor told me you have not been pranking lately. Not that I'm complaining, but-,"

"Chiron!" Grover said. Chiron jumped, his hooves clacking on the tile floor of the Big House.

"Grover, my boy!" he said happily. I could've sworn he was going to hug Grover, but then he figured out it was just an Iris-message. "We've been trying to contact you five for ages! However, we couldn't quite find out where you were."

"Yeah," Clarisse muttered in the background. "He owes me twenty seven Drachmas." Chiron laughed at her nervously. I could hear someone hyperventilating in the background.

Travis hurried in front of Chiron, almost frantic. "Did you find her? Katie? Is she all right? What happened? Where is she? Is-"

"Travis!" That was definitely Connor. "Grover can't answer if you don't shut up!" Silena pulled Travis to a chair where she gave him a brown paper bag to breathe in.

"Breathe, Travis. Breathe." She patted him on the shoulder.

Connor came into view. "He's been like that all week. It's kinda scary if you think about it. But yeah. He's crazy worried about Katie. Poor guy's got a huge crush on her."

"Do not!" Travis yelled.

Connor turned around to face his twin. "Dude. Have you seen yourself?" He turned back around. "So I'd hurry if I were you. Before he spontaneously combusts."

Chiron gently pulled Connor to the side to help his younger brother.

"Are you five okay?" Chiron asked. "There is still five of you, right?"

Grover nodded. "Yeah, we're all still alive. Though we're not that sure about Percy." He moved aside so they could see me. I saw many of the head counselors shoving each other to get a look. "Hellhound," he said, as though it was self-explanatory. "Broke his left arm and two ribs."

Apparently, Annabeth chose that time to go off on a tangent. She punched my good shoulder again and said, "You idiot! Do you know how much you scared us? You get slammed into the wall! You didn't move for half an hour!" To put extra emphasis on her words, she made huge movements with her hands.

"Annabeth," I said calmly.

"I waited for you to wake up! I've got red spots on my arms because I kept pinching myself, hoping it would be a dream!"

"Annabeth." She was speaking so fast that I could barely keep up. I wondered how she can say all this without taking a breath.

"Then you finally wake up. And say, 'Oh don't worry. Give me a few minutes.' Then I feel better again. But you say to contact camp."

"Annabeth."

"Then you start making fountains all over the place! And- "

"Annabeth!" I said, laughing. "It was only one fountain. And I'm fine. My arm is just a little numb."

"A little numb?" Nico asked in disbelief. "It's broken!" He prodded at my left arm. I swatted his hand away.

"Yeah, well, it hurts if you poke it! Jeez." I heard Clarisse snicker in the IM.

Chiron observed me like he was going to dissect me. "Don't forget to wrap your arm and chest." He paused. "And please hurry. I'm beginning to think we might have to start force-feeding Travis."

"I'm telling you, I don't have a crush on Katie!" Travis said. Silena raised one perfectly-shaped eyebrow at Travis. "And I don't need to be force-fed!"

Chiron laughed and waved a hand through the message. Suddenly the usual silence took over and the five of us looked back and forth between each other.

**XXXXXXXX**

**I am particularly proud of this chapter. I've been wanting to do some family love stuff between Percy and Nico. And I thought I'd add in some Tratie, because I LOVE TRATIE! Though I hate couple names. Also, I have a new poll up on my profile for a new story I've had in my mind for a long time. If you would vote, then great! Anyway, review! :D**


	12. Just Jackson

**Ugh, I know. I don't need a lecture. I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys I was going on a VEERRRYYYY long hiatus. But I'm back and I have another chapter of this already written and coming soon. And another chapter of Annabeth Says. So, just . . . here you go.**

**XXXXXXXX**

**Third Person**

The five teenagers trudged through the never-ending cave, the only sound being the tiny water drips and Percy playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with Grover. They were sweating, tired, achy, and just a little bit dazed. They had been on this quest for two weeks, and with each passing day, their hopes of finding their fellow camper fell.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Percy and Grover chanted in unison. "Rock, paper, scissors." Percy grinned for about the seventieth time that day.

"Ha," he said, hitting Grover's scissors with his own rock. "Grover, you suck at this."

Grover shrugged. "Always have."

* * *

After two more days of walking aimlessly through the cave, looking for any sign of Katie, the fivewere just about ready to give up and head backto camp. They were prepared totell everyone that Katie had died and she couldn't be found. They had done everything they could, and now they were all set to announce to the whole camp that they had failed.

Nico groaned. "Okay, look! It's obvious we're never going to find her! I think we should just go to camp." Nico's crestfallen face showed he was being dead serious (no pun intended :D).

"What?" Thalia blurted, getting angrier by the second. "We are _not_ going to give up now! We've gotten too far to quitnow!"

Annabeth looked between the two of them. "Nico, Thalia's right. We can't, not with how much is at stake."

Nico laughed, trying not to strangle the two girls. "Psh, of course you would side with her!"

Grover put a hand on Nico's shoulder. "Dude, calm down." Grover turned to the girls. "Maybe he's right. I mean, we've walked far enough to know that there is nothing here but rocks."

"No there isn't!" Thalia said. "What about that Hydra! The Hellhound! That clearly shows that _something_ is here!"

Nico stepped forward, frustrated. "Yeah well, if you haven't noticed, we have been walking for two weeks! We've done nothing but fight off monsters! We're not making any progress. We're just getting deeper and deeper into the cave."

"Guys . . ." Percy started, not even paying attention to the fighting.

"Well, we have to at least find out what happened to Katie!" Annabeth yelled, trying to be heard over Thalia and Nico's bickering. "We can't just tell everyone we got tired! People are counting on us! Did you see Travis? He was heartbroken! Do you want him to be like that for the next seven years? Not pranking or joking? Just sulking around? Do you want to be responsible for killing the joy of him? And what about Katie's family? They deserve to know!"

"She's dead!" Nico insisted.

"We don't know that! What about you, huh? How would you feel if you never found out what happened to your mom? Or Bianca?"

"Guys . . ." Percy said, urgently. He was staring at the blackness in front of them.

Nico shook his head. "Don't bring my family into this! And some people don't like knowing things! We're not all stupid children of Athena!"

Annabeth pursed her lips. "You did _not_ just go there." She pulled her knife out of her back pocket. "Let's see who's stupid once I cut your tongue off!"

Nico pulled out his Stygian Iron sword. "Bring it on, Blondie!"

Thalia and Grover frantically pulled the two apart to prevent any injuries.

"Guys!" Percy yelled, his voice boomed and echoed against the cave walls. The four immediately stopped, remembering their water-obsessed friend was still there. "Do you hear that?" Percy asked them, fear in his voice.

"Percy," Grover started. "There's nothing there."

Percy bit his lip. "Exactly…"

Suddenly, fifteen demigods dressed in black and gold dropped from the ceiling, greatly armed. A hellhound walked in from either side, blocking any escape. Dracaena filled the area with hisses and permeated the area with the smell of poison.

The five instinctively started to fight. They had successfully killed seven dracaenas and injured several demigods. However, they soon had Nico, Thalia, and Grover hostage with swords to all of their throats. Annabeth and Percy fought back to back as usual and looked at their helpless friends. As one lizard woman fought with Percy, one demigod grabbed Annabeth by the neck and held the point of her poisonous Annabeth's temple. Annabeth whimpered as she felt the cold sword against her skin, the poison making her vision blurred.

"S-s-stop!" the Dracaena hissed, a sly look in her eyes. "Or Little Miss-s-s-s Athena girl here will be dead before you can blink," she finished.

Not fully able to find his voice, he whispered, "Don't hurt her," as though it would bring his girlfriend to safety. He looked at Annabeth with desperation.

"Oh, we wouldn't hurt her," a familiar voice said. Luke emerged from the shadows. "As long as you cooperate."

Percy's grip on Riptide tightened as he took a step forward.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Luke warned. "Janet here isn't known for taking mercy on people." He gestured to the dracaena. "But like I just said, all you have to do is cooperate and we won't hurt anyone." Luke walked up to Annabeth and stroked her cheek. Annabeth cringed as his skin came in contact with hers. Hatred flashed across Percy's face.

Luke turned back around to face Percy. "Now, don't move or we'll send you to base camp, dragging the dead bodies of your friends."

"Don't listen to him!" Nico yelled. His captor squeezed his grip on Nico's neck and he began to sputter and wheeze, unable to breathe.

"Get your dirty hands off him!" Percy yelled. He threw Riptide like a javelin and it dug into the half-blood's shoulder. He fell to the floor, grasping his arm. Nico ran to Percy and hung on to Percy's arm. "Don't touch my cousin," Percy growled, making sure Nico, who caught his breath, was behind him.

"That's not cooperation, Jackson," Luke pointed out. "Don't forget that we still have three more." That shut Percy right up. Three demigods marched up. They took his sword without him protesting. One of them patted him down for any more weapons while another got rope out.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "What's the ro-"

"Don't talk," he said, no emotion in his voice. As roughly and brutally as he could, the man yanked Percy's arms behind his back and tied the rope around them. Percy took a sharp breath in as it burned his skin, skinning his wrists. His four friends said nothing as they watched Percy bound by the think cord.

Luke nodded approvingly, setting off into the black again. He motioned for the ones holding Percy to follow him.

"What do we do with thes-s-se ones-s-s-s?" one dracaena asked.

"Base camp," Luke ordered. "I'm taking Percy here straight to the boss."

One half-blood still looked confused, his eyebrows knit together. "Then shouldn't you take them too?" he asked, jabbing a thumb at the four.

"I said no!" Luke bellowed, his deep voice echoing throughout the barren cave. He took three long, deep breaths to calm himself. "Just Jackson."

**XXXXXXXX**

…**.Yeah, I rewrote this like ten times. I couldn't bring myself to post something crappy. Especially since you guys have been waiting like a whole year for this. I REALLY tried to make this chapter as good as it could be. Please no flames saying things like 'Where the *beep* have you been?'**


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